Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1033
McDonald’s workers strike to protest workplace harassment
McDonald’s workers in 12 U.S. cities walked off the job Tuesday to protest what they say is an ongoing problem of sexual harassment and violence in the company’s stores. Several hundred workers were expected to participate in Chicago, Houston, Miami, Detroit and other cities, according to Fight for $15 and...
Pa. Lottery awards ‘humongous’ 10-year contracts that will modernize its business
The Pennsylvania Lottery is about to undergo a modernization with new equipment, new signage and a new app. The changes will be rolled out over the course of the coming year as part of the recent execution of the commonwealth’s most lucrative technology contracts to Las Vegas-based Scientific Games Corp....
Biden urges bill over ‘finish line’ as Democrats eye new surtax
WASHINGTON — With his signature domestic initiative at stake, President Joe Biden is urging Democrats to wrap up talks and bring the social services and climate change bill “over the finish line” before he departs Thursday for global summits overseas. Top Democratic leaders are signaling a deal is within reach...
Not a trick: No White House treats for Halloween this year
WASHINGTON — Ghosts and goblins can scratch the White House from their trick or treating routes this year. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be in Europe on Halloween and won’t be at the White House to help hand out candy and other treats. Instead, the Pennsylvania...
Exotic dancer sues 2 Westmoreland adult clubs, claiming employment law violations
A North Huntingdon exotic dancer wants a local adult night club to pay her more than $58,000 in back wages and damages she says she is owed because the club misclassified her employment status. Deanna Betras, 41, alleges the owners of the former The Filly Corral in South Huntingdon —...
Fire rips through Patete Kitchen & Bath’s Scott showroomVideo
A fire late Tuesday ripped through a South Hills-based kitchen and bathroom remodeling center that’s been serving Western Pennsylvania for more than half a century Owners of Patete Kitchen and Bath Design Center in Scott say the setback shouldn’t affect existing customers. The blaze and fast-paced effort to extinguish it...
Tree of Life shooting survivor takes steps to live ‘joyous’ life
Carol Black remembers making the 27-mile drive from her Cranberry home to the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, and turning onto Wilkins Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. As she headed for the parking lot, she saw her brother Richard walking into the building. It’s the last time...
3 years after Tree of Life shooting, social media still a breeding ground for extremism, experts say
Federal prosecutors say the mass shooting that Robert Bowers carried out at a Pittsburgh synagogue three years ago was preceded by disturbing, hate-filled activity on social media. Since then, social media sites have continued to be linked to — and some say breeding grounds of — acts of violence and...
Teen gets 15 to 30 years after pleading to killing Homestead man, shooting 2 others
Corey Mickens, then 15, killed a man who had been his friend by shooting him in the head execution style on Feb. 5, 2019. Two weeks later, Mickens stood up through the sun roof of a car as it drove through North Braddock and shot and wounded a stranger on...
FDA advisers back Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11
WASHINGTON — The United States moved a step closer to expanding covid-19 vaccinations for millions more children as a panel of government advisers on Tuesday endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer’s shots for 5- to 11-year-olds. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously, with one abstention, that the vaccine’s...
Lawsuit: FedEx truck driver’s headphones may have contributed to deadly 2020 Pa. Turnpike crash involving tour bus
If a FedEx truck driver hadn’t been wearing noise-canceling headphones, he might have avoided crashing into an overturned tour bus in January 2020 as part of a Pennsylvania Turnpike wreck that killed five people and injured 14 in Westmoreland County, according to a civil lawsuit. The complaint, filed in Philadelphia...
Sewickley Academy settles with Black former administrator who filed race discrimination lawsuit
The former director of admissions and financial aid at Sewickley Academy who was fired this summer has settled a federal lawsuit he filed against the school. Federal court records show U.S. Magistrate Maureen P. Kelly signed the order dismissing Douglas Leek’s case against Sewickley Academy on Monday. Attorney Sam Cordes,...
Pittsburgh police to lease former Steamfitters building in Duquesne Heights
Pittsburgh will lease a former Steamfitters Local Union 449 building in the city’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood to consolidate police operations, allowing the city to redevelop other sites that police are currently using. City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation allowing the city to lease 1517 Woodruff St. The city will...
Police: Youngwood man ‘forgot’ cocaine baggies in sock when booked into county jail
A Youngwood man told police he forgot he had two baggies of cocaine in his sock as he was being processed this month at Westmoreland County Prison, police said. When George R. Weightman III, 43, was picked up Oct. 9 on an arrest warrant for theft, a jail guard found...
‘Buy it when you see it’: Retailers dread holiday shortages
NEW YORK — The Perfect Pigg, a gift shop owned by Ginger Pigg, is the go-to place for residents of Cumming, Ga., to pick up gift items like kids toys and home goods. But this year, store shelves might be a little sparse. Because of bottlenecks in the global supply...
Where have all the students gone?: Western Pa. colleges struggle with declining enrollment
Colleges across the region, ranging from the University of Pittsburgh to local community colleges, are mirroring troubling national trends in enrollment. In a development experts say could lead to gaps in the workforce and affect the nation’s economic health for years to come, college enrollment is down overall for the...
Public hearing on proposed Amazon site in Churchill ends after 50-plus hours of testimony
A public hearing that spanned 14 days and included more than 55 hours of testimony regarding a proposed Amazon distribution center in Churchill has concluded, meaning local officials will render a decision on the project’s future within 45 days. A vocal group of residents has strongly opposed the project, which...
Prosecutor drops felony charge against central Pa. man for 43-cent ‘theft’
The Perry County district attorney’s office dismissed a felony charge that Pennsylvania State Police had filed against a homeless man after he paid $2 for Mt. Dew drink that cost $2.29. Joseph Sobolewski maintained all along that his arrest for retail theft after visiting the Exxon at 3298 Susquehanna Trail...
PennDOT policy change adds cost to Lower Burrell VFW’s Veterans Day parade
After decades of holding the annual Veterans Day parade in Lower Burrell, the local VFW doesn’t understand why they now have to pay $450 in insurance to stage this year’s parade. “For what we have done for this country, the sacrifice and soldiers risking their lives, and now with a...
Highlands considering fixes for pool that leaks 300 gallons an hour
Highlands High School could be without its pool for the next several months if leaders greenlight a major renovation to resolve costly leaks. “We’ve had problems for a while, and we’ve spent more than $4,800 so far trying to solve the issue,” said Chris Reiser, the district’s buildings and grounds...
Person killed when train hits truck in Jefferson Hills
One person was killed when a dump truck collided with a train in Jefferson Hills, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. The victim has not been identified. The incident happened at about 10:30 p.m. Monday. A Wheeling and Lake Erie train had been crossing Route 51 near Worthington Drive when...
One Day to Remember creates memories for terminally ill Western Pa. parents and their familiesVideo
As an oncology nurse at Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh, Rachel Antin saw the pain. A sick parent would give everything he or she had to get well enough to be with their children. Antin watched as families struggled to find time together, away from the chemotherapy and blood tests...
82-year-old man killed in South Huntingdon crash
An 82-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Sunday evening in South Huntingdon, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth Bacha. John W. Labasky Jr., of Sewickley Township, was pronounced dead at Excela Health Frick Hospital, Bacha said. According to a coroner’s report, Labasky was driving west on Stants Road...
Pa. Rep. Nelson, parents file suit against 4 Westmoreland school districts over mask mandate
A group of parents, along with state Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, filed a lawsuit against several local school districts alleging the state-issued mask mandate is unconstitutional. The suit was filed in Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas against Hempfield Area, Norwin, Penn-Trafford and Kiski Area school districts by a group of...
What can be done about police officer shortage?
Continued difficulty in hiring police officers is driving conversations among police chiefs and departments across the region in hopes of a solution to their staffing problems. A roundtable discussion Monday in Latrobe broached using state money for sign-up bonuses and to pay for training and certification courses, Latrobe police Chief...
